This specification relates to installing applications on client devices.
Business entities require both telecommunication access and Internet access to operate efficiently. Often the telecommunication access can be implemented by use of voice over IP (“VoIP”) platforms. However, many business entities—particularly small business entities—do not have the technical expertise and/or financial resources to establish and maintain communication systems that provide broadband voice and data capabilities. These business entities thus often enter into agreements with custom providers of voice and broadband Internet services. One such provider is CBeyond, Inc., of Atlanta, Ga., USA, which provides customized packages and support for broadband voice and Internet access to enterprises. The customized packages can include a variety of Internet/data services, voice services, security services, remote access services, and mobile services. Examples of such services can include web hosting and domain services, mail server hosting, local and long-distance phone services, voicemail, firewalls, file sharing and secured file backup, to name just a few.
To provide these services for an enterprise, representatives of the provider will install one or more client applications on client devices (e.g., personal computers) located at the enterprise premises. Each client device may receive different client application installations and configurations, depending on the services that the enterprise has chosen to receive, and on restrictions of services to particular persons in the enterprise. Furthermore, many client devices may already have preinstalled client applications that provide the functionality the services require. Accordingly, configuring each client device according to the services available to the user of the client device while minimizing the installation of client applications that provide the same functionality of preinstalled client applications can be a labor-intensive process.